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Tuesday, February 28, 2017

As someone who has participated in Mardi Gras parades, let me tell you this is ONE

PARTY! There is nothing like being there in person!

. Happy Mardi Gras! You may know that Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday" and "Laissez les bons temps rouler" is a Cajun French phrase that translates to "Let the good times roll!" ...

Thank Pope Gregory XIII for adding the event to the calendar (yup, the Gregorian calendar) in 1582 on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is Lent, the 40 days of fasting and prayer leading up to Easter Sunday.

* Another name for Mardi Gras is "Shrove Tuesday." The word "shrove" comes from the "shrive," which means "to confess." Going to confession is an unofficial practice of Catholics to prior to starting the 40 day spiritual journey of Lent.

* International names for Mardi Gras include: Martes de Carnaval in Mexico, Fastan in Sweden, Martedi Grasso in Italy, J'Ouvert in Trinidad, and Karneval in Germany.

* Like many holidays we celebrate today, the festivities include evidence of pagan tradition. Feasting and masquerades, which are important parts of today's Mardi Gras celebrations, were also parts of the ancient Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia, according to Huffington Post.

* It wouldn't be Fat Tuesday without purple, gold and green beads, but how did those colors come to be symbolic with the holiday? The International Business Times reports that the King of the first daytime carnival in 1872 selected those colors based on their associated meaning and he would toss them to people he thought fit that meaning.
Purple = justice
Gold = power
Green = faith

* New Orleans was not the first American city to host a parade for the occasion. That was Mobile, Alabama. Louisiana is where the celebration originated in North America, though, and for that we can thank France for sending the LeMoyne brothers in 1699 to defend France's claim in Louisiana, as they brought the holiday with them.

* New Orleans held its first Mardi Gras parade in 1837. Floats appeared 20 years later.

* Lawmakers in Louisiana made Mardi Gras a legal state holiday in 1875. It is still observed in parts of the state and is also a state holiday in Alabama and Florida.

* Masks are a fun part of Mardi Gras, but if you're riding on a float, don't leave home without one. It is illegal to ride on a Mardi Gras parade float in New Orleans without wearing a mask.

* Mardi Gras may be the day before Lent, but it also marks the end of Carnival season, which begins Jan. 6.

* It is also known as Pancake Day (read about free pancakes for charity at IHOP here) or Paczki Day (learn "Secret of Perfect Paczki" here).

Monday, February 27, 2017

I came across this post about printing your own fabric labels for clothing items at home--
I have ordered labels before and there are plenty to have for the ages, but sometimes, I would like to have a special label for a special item--this is just perfect for that!!

This website is a rich with techniques and tips on crocheting patterns and stitches! A definite follow along site to add to your daily routine!

Friday, February 24, 2017

The Rakestraw Spinner is certainly an interesting spinning companion. There are simple means to spin besides the drop spindle, that started out as a rock on the end of a stick--this is one of those ways.

These Mayan Spinner-style spinners are great for anyone who struggles to use a drop spindle or who is learning to spin. If you suffer from arthritis, fibromyalgia, or tendonitis, you can carry on spinning with the Rakestraw Spinner. Wonderful for children, who pick it up straight away, for the elderly, and for everyone and anyone! It almost spins itself and can be more productive than a drop spindle.Spin on!

The West Houston Quilter’s Guild is a 501(C)(3) non–profit organization founded
in 1993 with the purpose of developing and nurturing appreciation for the art of
quilting and its history. Simply put, we are a group of people who love quilts!

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

The history of Valentine’s Day–and the story of its patron saint–is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?

Did You Know?

Approximately 150 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas.

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.

ORIGINS OF VALENTINE’S DAY: A PAGAN FESTIVAL IN FEBRUARY

While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

TYPICAL VALENTINE’S DAY GREETINGS In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day greetings.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.” Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.

Monday, February 13, 2017

I love stitching! It's a form of mediation for me--I don't need anything else but my fabric, a nice pattern and my boxes of embroidery threads. And I love this new series of stitching patterns thatJenny has designed. The Love of Home!

A sweet pattern that includes some applique--check it out--Free for the month!

Friday, February 10, 2017

Is coming up this summer--JUNE 23-25, 2017 AT THE BERRY CENTER IN CYPRESS, TX

This is Lester, the mascot for Fiber Fest. The Fiber Fest will feature two outstanding

knitters in

Lucy Neatby is an internationally recognized teacher, designer, and writer who thrills knitters around the world with her inimitable charm, knowledge, and uniquely colourful designs. Her passion for nurturing and empowering knitters, and putting them in control of their art, is legendary! She is the author of three books: Cool Socks Warm Feet, Cool Knitters Finish in Style, A Little Book of BIG Holes for Hand-knitters! and the Learn With Lucy DVD series.

JC Briar is a self-professed knitter, puzzle solver, and chart fanatic. She likes to ask questions, probe beyond the surface, and figure things out for herself. Which cast on method really is the most stretchy? How do you knit sock heels and toes that really fit? JC has honed her teaching skills to recognize that different students have different learning styles, and she tries to adapt to match each student’s needs. JC is author of the bookCharts Made Simpleand creator of the revolutionaryStitch Mapscharting software.

You have plenty of time to knit up Lester! A Free pattern from Gritty Knits